1 An Introduction to maneo

Thank You for Visiting maneo's Website!

maneo is an IT platform which links Japanese retail investors with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) online, the first of its kind in Japan.
Social lending (loan-based crowdfunding) allows investors in Japan to earn good returns on asset-backed loan funds whilst providing much-needed financing to SMEs both in Japan and abroad.

Brief History of maneo

maneo used to lend to individuals from 2008 until 2011, which truly made it a P2P company.
Since 2011, however, maneo has only lent to businesses, with many borrowers being connected with the real estate industry.
Our platform has also been used fund the development of aged-care facilities, residential homes, land for solar power facilities, just to name a few.

maneo has caused no loss on principal to its investors since 2011 following this important shift.
With the help of the crowd, maneo has provided around 50 billion yen (close to $500 million USD) in financing to SMEs to date. This number will only keep growing as more and more investors get matched with more and more SMEs.

2 About the Silent Partnership Agreement (TK Agreement)

What is Unique about Japanese Social Lending?

Social lending is unique in Japan in part due to the contract which investors sign with maneo.

Investors electronically sign a silent partnership agreement (tokumei kumiai keiyaku, TK agreement) with maneo when they want to invest in a loan fund.
It is an agreement between maneo and its investors, whereby the investor invests money into maneo for it to use for a part of its business, which is lending.

Below is a diagram which shows the role of the TK Agreement in maneo's business, as well as the flow of funds.

Features of the TK Agreement:

Below is a description of some of the TK Agreement's key features.

No need for the investor to be an accredited investor (huge potential investor base);

No limitations on how little or how much investors can invest;

Investors put equity into maneo for its business (which is lending), but do not become shareholders of maneo;

If maneo makes a profit on this venture (i.e. if the borrower repays their loan), investors are entitled to a share of the profits (i.e. interest @ 5%～8% per annum);

If maneo were to make a loss on the investment (i.e. if there were to be loss on principal), maneo passes on negative returns to investors;

Gatherers of funds via a TK Agreement can use the funds outside of Japan.

This is a unique scheme which easily allows retail investors to make their money work for them, and makes it easy for companies (both in Japan and abroad) to raise funds for their projects.

3 Become a maneo Franchisee!

Since July 2015 maneo has been franchising itself, providing its platform to other companies as a white-label product.

Yes, companies can run their own white-label version of maneo and raise funds directly from Japanese investors.

The idea behind franchising maneo's platform is simple: to give companies in various industries around the world the ability to directly raise funds for their business or project from the Japanese crowd.

Business model of maneo's franchising scheme

Brief Introduction to the maneo Family

There are already several franchisees who are part of the growing maneo family.
Below is a brief description of how two of those franchisees are using their white-label platform.

One platform is being used to fund developers involved in "fix & flip" (renovation) projects mainly in Silicon Valley. That platform has raised over $1 million USD per month since its launch in October 2015.

Another platform is being used to provide funds to a consumer finance company in Hong Kong.

Companies with steady deal flow can use their own platform to fund projects in fields such as real estate development, renewable energy, securitising bonds, microfinance and so on.

The maneo family is steadily growing, with our platform already being used to raise funds for overseas projects.We are always looking for new members to join our family. Do not hesitate to get in touch to learn more about our platform.

4 maneo's Popularity in Japan

maneo continues to be popular with investors in Japan.
maneo's investor base has grown to over 34,000 registered users since 2008.

Below are a few reasons behind this growth in user numbers and popularity:

No loss on principal since 2011, when maneo shifted to lending to SMEs;

All loan funds are backed by collateral or a guarantee;

LTV (Loan to Value) varies, but is typically below 70%;

Investors can invest from as little as 10,000 yen ($95) -> Easy to start investing;

Very good returns in an extremely low interest rate environment.

The State of Low Interest Rates in Japan

The table below shows how little interest per year Japanese get when they put $100,000, $30,000～$100,000 and below $30,000 into term deposit accounts ranging from one month up to 10 years.

After 10 years, a $100,000 investment will only grow to be around $100,400. That is before taxes and bank fees.
This is the reality in Japan.

Average Interest Rates at Japanese Financial Institutions (% Per Year)

In contrast to this, investors can earn 5-8% per annum (1400～2200 times the return in the previous example) on maneo asset-backed loan funds.

Matching Investors & SMEs = Win-Win Situation for All Involved

There are few investment options easily available to Japanese retail investors which provide good returns at fixed intervals.
There is also a very large need for capital amongst businesses in Japan and the world.
maneo, together with its partners, is helping solve both of these important issues, creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.

5 maneo & GMO

maneo is not just growing its family by working together with franchisees.
It is also actively partnering with companies which have their own investors.

maneo's Partnership with GMO Click Shares

From October 2016, maneo's loan funds (as well as those of our franchisees) will be made available to GMO Click Shares.

GMO Click Shares is the largest FX trader in the world by volume and has around 450,000 user accounts.
maneo's loan funds (and those of our franchisees) will be marketed to GMO Click Shares' investors from October 2016, allowing the maneo family to leverage an investor base more than 10 times the size of its investor base.

maneo will benefit from this, but most of all our franchisees will benefit from the influx of fresh capital.
New franchisees looking to enjoy the benefits of maneo's partnership with GMO Click Shares are more than welcome to join our family.

6 Contact us

Any questions? Feel free to contact us.
We would love to hear from you.

Please contact us via the following email address: support_eng@maneo-market.jp